All By Myself
by hayleywritesxo
Summary: Hermione wants to go find her parents. Ron doesn't want her to. It sounds complicated, right? Well add a Weasley twin into the mix and it gets even worse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: characters are not mine, they are property of the queen, JK Rowling.

I hope you like this story, and as always R+R, with any constructive criticism and also ideas where you think the story should go!

The funeral was as a funeral should be. Ladies wiped their tear filled eyes with lacy handkerchiefs and the men tried to stop them. The small garden was so full that three quarters of the guests were stood up. Everyone who knew Fred Weasley was there, and even people who had never met him. His family and closest friends sat on the front row. Even the Malfoy's had shown up, standing right at the back away from the grieving family.

Then Fred's coffin was lowered into the ground and everyone cried harder than ever. The only person with dry eyes was George, who was clutching his mother's hand so hard she was thinking it might be broken. His face showed no emotion. His thoughts were filled with Fred's laughter and the jokes they had shared. He hadn't only lost his brother; he had lost his best friend and the person who had been by his side since the day they were born. Now he was alone.

Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes. Ron wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in tighter. He was trying to make her feel better, but she felt pangs of guilt pulse through her every time she looked up at him. She could see how painful the funeral was for him, and wanted desperately to be the devoted, loving and supportive girlfriend she should be, but since they had returned to the burrow things had been different.

Ron had wanted them to spend most of their time together, but Hermione felt herself feeling like an outsider in the Weasley's house. She felt intrusive, the whole family were obviously devastated by Fred's death, but were still as selfless and generous as before towards herself and Harry. But after the fighting had ceased, Hermione felt an emptiness inside her, and she wondered if Harry felt it too. She, like him, now had no family, and seeing the Weasley's together made her realise that this is what she was missing.

A few hours later and a marquee had been set up in the garden just like when there was a wedding. Fred's favourite band, The Weird Sisters, were stood up on a stage and singing his favourite songs. Everyone who had been invited to the party knew that Fred would want it to be a happy occasion, not something where everyone was sad. So laughter filled the air as Molly and Arthur retold some of Fred and George's finest moments. Their first prank, some of the mischief they had caused over the years, their bravery and of course their unbelievable skills as Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. All the guests were drinking Butterbeer and Firewhiskey, and now the older guests were becoming merry. Dancing had started and the party was in full swing. Only George didn't join in. He'd dealt with enough condolences for the day, and was sat at a table watching the entertainment. He was even laughing, but only slightly, at Luna Lovegood as she danced in her weird way around the room. She had a dreamy smile on her face and each time she became tired of dancing, she would tell whoever would listen about Nargles and other magical creatures that no one believed in.

Hermione sat down next to him and watched the guests as they danced and sang and toasted to Fred's memory.

"Where's Ron?" George asked her, drinking the Firewhisky that was left in his glass.

"Drowning his sorrows, I should think." Hermione replied softly, smiling at George. He could sense the annoyance in her voice. "How are you?"

"Tired, it's exhausting listening to people tell me how "terribly sorry" they are for my loss." He laughed vaguely, refilling his glass.

Hermione looked at George and smiled slightly. She moved her hand across the table and rested it lightly on his, giving his soft hand a warm squeeze. George smiled back at her, allowing her to squeeze it. It made him feel better, and the ache in his heart didn't feel so bad when Hermione was around. He hadn't yet figured out why. Maybe it was because she was the only person who acted normal around him. Everyone else believed him fragile, and treated him as if he was still a little boy. Everything they said was carefully thought of, so as not to upset him. It was driving him around the bend and he was glad to have someone who just acted as if he was the same old George. Which he was, he was just half of the George he used to be. When Fred died George died a little inside too. It was only natural. George just wanted to be allowed to heal, and he knew the only way he could do that was by going away somewhere. Molly would go mad and tell him no, he knew that already. But he had to go. If he didn't go now he would never be the George he used to be. Too many memories lived in the Burrow, and it hurt him to walk around without his best friend. The bedroom they grew up in was too quiet and he knew that the shop they owned would too. He just had to get away.

George realised he was ignoring Hermione, but when he looked, he saw she had left and was making her way over to Ron. All his brothers and his sister were grieving too, but now they all had someone to comfort them. Bill had Fleur, Charlie had a girl he had brought home from Romania, Ron had Hermione, and Ginny had Harry. If Fred had been around he wouldn't have minded, but even Fred had been with someone. Angelina Johnson. George's eyes moved over to where she was stood, still with tears in her eyes. A sigh escaped his lips and he knew she was hurting as much as he was. She had discovered a ring among the possessions Fred had left at her house, and hadn't spoken a word to anyone since. George saw her look over and gave her a comforting smile, and she responded in kind. Then he made his way inside the house, and up to his lonely room.

It was the day after the funeral that Hermione made her decision. She had woken up to the sound of Molly shouting for everyone to come down for breakfast. Just from them few words she realised how much she missed her own mother and father. Having breakfast with them, going on days out or visiting the library with them. They may have been boring parents, but Hermione had loved them with all her heart. She still did. Knowing they were out in Australia having fun without her broke her heart. Now they didn't even know she existed. The pair didn't know they had a teenage daughter. So Hermione wanted to go over to Australia and perform a memory charm on her parents. To make them remember everything. She knew finding them would be a hard task, with Australia being a large country. But she could do it. She was a witch, after all.

Unfortunately making this decision turned out to be the easy part; breaking the news to everyone would be difficult. Hermione knew once she had explained herself to both Mr and Mrs Weasley, and Harry and Ginny that they would understand and try to support her decision. But it was not the thought of telling them that worried her. Ron would not be pleased. He had become more and more clingy towards Hermione over the past few weeks, which was understandable; he was going through a lot. But Hermione felt distanced from him, and knew that until she had her parents back, she would not be able to fully commit to Ron, no matter how much she loved him. Of course this made her feel terrible and cruel, his brother had just died. But she couldn't stay here feeling like this, she needed to get away and start rebuilding her life.

That morning the Weasley's sat around the dining table in silence. The only sound was little Teddy gurgling as Ginny fed him from the small bowl in front of him. She went to clear her throat again, gearing up to tell the family. Finally, she plucked up the courage and began to speak, but quickly. Luckily the family knew her well enough to still be able to hear everything she was saying.

"I've…made a decision about something very important to me. I want to go to Australia and find my parents. All of you know that I performed a charm on them so they thought they didn't have me, and that their lifelong dream was to visit Australia. Now the war is over, and the danger is relatively gone, I want to go find them and restore their memory. Since I've been here I've realised how much I don't fit in. I love all of you so much, but I need my own parents with me. To sort out my life before I come back here. I'm not Hermione right now, just someone who looks like her."

The Weasley's all just looked at her for a moment, shocked by the sudden outburst at the breakfast table.

"I want to leave as soon as possible, I've been reading up on memory charms and from what I've read it takes a while before the victim actually begins to remember." Hermione looked for said quietly when nobody had said anything.

"On your own?" Mrs Weasley looked alarmed, she thought of Hermione as her own daughter and the thought of her, an 18 year old, going all the way to Australia on her own, did not bode well.

"Well… yes." Hermione replied.

"I think it's a brilliant idea." Harry smiled at her, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand for a moment. Hermione smiled back at him, she knew he'd understand. Apprehensively she looked over at Ron, who wore an expression close to complete bewilderment.

Eventually he cleared his throat to speak and everyone round the table turned to look at him, all except George.

"Alone?" He asked, staring into his porridge.

Hermione hesitated. "Yes, Ron. You need to stay here with your family, and I need to go and find mine. I'll be back before you know it-" She was interrupted.

"Hermione, if you think I'm letting you go all the way to Australia on your own, you're madder than I thought." Ron shook his head, laughing nervously but clenching his fists.

At this point Hermione stood up from the table, on the verge of tears.

"I don't need you to _let_mego anywhere, Ronald. Thank you so much for your support!" She shouted at him, before turning and marching out of the room.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all of the characters.

Thanks for all the lovely favourite stories, and favourite author alerts I've been getting! I'm glad to know you're enjoying it. If you have any feedback then I'd love for you to review this chapter, with any ideas you have. Especially because I don't have the next chapter written this time, so bear with me!

The bright red-cheeked Weasley grimaced and watched as his girlfriend fled the room. Angry glares were being tossed in his direction and biting his lip, Ron stood up and walked after Hermione in silence. Once he was gone the room was suddenly alive with the sounds of voices filling the room. They all cared so much about Hermione that the whole family wanted their say. After a few minutes of the loud voices Molly banged her fist against the dining table to grab their attention. All of the Weasley family looked up at the sound, knowing not to mess with Molly. Ever.

"Quiet, all of you! I know you all want best for Hermione but we're never going to hear each other with that racket! Bill, you were saying?"

Bill looked across the table at George, who had been sitting quietly for most of the morning.

"I was just thinking, it might be good for Hermione to get away. So much has happened, and sometimes people need time to heal," Fleur squeezed his hand softly as he spoke, looking at him with adoration. "And I think that maybe you need some time to heal as well, George."

At the sound of his own name George's eyes darted up, noticing that the attention of his family was upon him once more.

"Huh? Sorry, what?" He asked.

"Well, mum and Ron obviously won't let Hermione go alone-"

"Hermione can do whatever she wants, she's 18 isn't she?" Everybody around the table could sense the annoyance in George's voice as he interrupted Bill.  
"I just thought if you went with her it might be good for you both." Bill finished.

George frowned, staying silent as he started to ponder the idea. Though he would hate to admit it, Bill was right. He did need to get away. From the burrow, from the shop, from anywhere that reminded him of Fred. Australia was far away, and would be a good way to clear his head. The thought of Hermione being by his side only made him want to go more.

"I don't know, it's a good idea. I guess I'll think about it before making a decision." He lowered his head again and leaned back, his thoughts moving to Australia rather than to Fred for once.

The rest of the family glanced at him, and felt hope for George. Everything Bill had said they agreed with, they couldn't stand him being upset. It wasn't right. Slowly the chatter started up again, but Charlie made sure to choose a new topic of conversation for the family to discuss.

Ron found Hermione sitting on the grass outside. She was whispering spells under her breath, making tiny, colourful flowers from the garden dance through the air beside her. She stopped when she noticed Ron stepping through the tall grass towards her.

"Ron..." She turned to look at him, sliding her wand into the pocket of her jeans. "Please just hear me out." Her hands had found his and finally he returned her gaze. She could sense how upset he was.

"I just, I just hoped I could be enough for you." He said in a low voice. "I mean of course you'll miss them, but you've got me."

Hermione felt tears begin to prick her eyes. She hated to cause him this much pain, and had known from the beginning that Ron could never understand how she felt. But she couldn't blame him.

"It's not about that, Ron. This isn't about you, or us. I just need my family, and you need yours."

"But…" Ron started.

"But nothing, Ron! I need to do this. Do you not understand? I want my mother and father; I haven't seen them for over a year!" Hermione exclaimed, letting go of Ron's hand. "If you can't understand that then we shouldn't be together."

"Don't be so selfish!" Ron suddenly exclaimed. Hermione flinched at the noise and looked at him, hurt.

"I am not selfish Ronald! I understand that Fred has died and your family is hurting, but I'm hurting too. I need to do this! I was right, we shouldn't be together. You don't understand at all!" Standing up quickly, Hermione shot a glare in Ron's direction and walked off in the direction of the house. She'd made her mind up. She would leave for Australia. As soon as possible.

Hermione's entrance brought on an automatic silence in the Weasley's dining room. George noticed her tear stained cheeks, and watched as Harry immediately walked towards her.

"Hermione, are you okay?" He asked. George felt an overwhelming urge to get up and wrap his arms tightly around her. Instead he stayed in his seat, avoiding her eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Harry. I'll be fine. I want you all to know that I'm leaving as soon as possible. If you don't mind I think I'll go and pack my things now." She tried hard to reassure Harry by smiling up at him, although she hadn't fooled anybody. Once she'd left the room Harry went to find Ron. George said nothing and quietly everyone left the table one by one.

After a few minutes he decided to follow Hermione up, wanting to check if she was alright. Standing up slowly he walked towards the stairs and started to climb up them towards the room Hermione was staying in. As he climbed he realised how empty the house still felt without Fred beside him. Trying to push him out of his mind, George gently knocked on the door when he reached it. When he heard Hermione's soft voice calling out to let him in, he started to feel sort of nervous. Shaking it off he pushed open the door to reveal Hermione with her suitcase laid out on the bed, and surprisingly, her clothes were strewn across the room. For the first time in a while he had to fight back laughter, but as Hermione turned and he saw the tears in her eyes, the feeling of laughter fell away. Without thinking, he stepped forward and slipped his arms around her pulling her close to him.

"Hey, don't cry, it's okay. Ron's an idiot, really, he is." George pulled back and offered a small smile. "You should know that after years of mothering him and Harry!"

Sniffling through the tears, Hermione couldn't help but smile back in response to his words, her head nodding up and down in agreement. After a few minutes of silence, the pair pulled themselves apart and Hermione sat herself down on the bed, hearing it emit the creak she had come to know so well. It seemed nothing in this house was perfectly in order. Even the people who lived within the rickety old house. Letting out a sigh, she looked around the small room she had grown to love. It was her sanctuary whilst she lived in the house that never slept. There was always something going on, always some sort of noise, even in the dead of night when the inhabitants were sleeping in bed. A noise could be heard from somewhere. Whether it was the creepy ghoul in the attic or a member of the Weasley family crying and screaming from nightmares about the missing member of their large family. The house was always alive with some sort of noise.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Hermione started, looking down at her hands as she rested them on her lap. "It's just seeing you all grieving over Fred has made me realise how important family actually is. I never really realised before the war how much we take it for granted. We just expect them to be there at the end of the day, and when they're not, it's heart breaking. So I need to do this. You understand that, don't you?"

The expression spread across Hermione's face nearly made George's heart break. Slowly he made his way towards the bed and sat himself down beside her. Reaching over he took Hermione's small hand in his own, and smiled at her.

"I do, Hermione. I really think you should go to Australia, as soon as possible. Although, I don't think you should go alone…" the reaction to this last sentence was as expected, with the stubborn girl shaking her head almost immediately in disagreement. Holding his finger up, he pressed it against her lips gently. "Sh, for a minute. Let me explain before you jump to conclusions like I know you already are. I don't mean Ron, nor do I mean Harry or some sort of guard. If possible, I'd like to come with you. Now you can say no, I won't be offended in the slightest, but I need to get away and this would be a great way to do so. To take my mind off of Fred. Staying in this house really doesn't help, either."

Surprisingly, even after George had finished speaking, Hermione stayed silent and contemplated what he was saying. Come with her? George Weasley? Who would have thought he would ever want to spend more than a week with the know it all bookworm, especially in a country so far away from their own. To be honest though, it was a great idea, though she hated to admit it. Going alone would be scary, and Hermione knew very well that it would take more than a day to find her parents. Australia was a large country, and her parents could be anywhere. After another minute of contemplation she was decided. Squeezing George's hand gently, she smiled.

"George, I'd love some company, and I agree that it would be so good for you to get away from the Burrow. Of course you can come with me!"

Thanks for reading!


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